San Jose State not an option for Duke quarterback Brandon Connette

SAN JOSE -- Duke quarterback Brandon Connette won't be joining his brother Simon at San Jose State, according to a source.

Duke announced Thursday that Connette plans to transfer from the Durham, N.C., school to be closer to his mother, Nancy, who is battling cancer. The Connette family is from Corona in Southern California. Simon Connette is a junior safety for the Spartans.

CBS's Jeremy Fowler reported that Duke sent a letter to a West Coast school granting permission to talk to Connette "in regards to a possible transfer." The school was not identified, but a source confirmed it wasn't San Jose State.

While Connette could be a talented addition to the roster, for football reasons he's not the right fit. San Jose State has already completed spring practice, so he wouldn't be able to work with coaches until training camp begins in August.

Connette was a versatile threat at quarterback for the Blue Devils, He shared the quarterback job with Anthony Boone and threw for 13 touchdowns and rushed for 14 more. He had a school-record 31 rushing touchdowns in his three seasons with Duke,

That would seem to make him a fit for the Spartans' read-option packages that it frequently ran this spring with Blake Jurich, who is battling Joe Gray for the starting job. Gray seems to be the favorite, with Jurich in line to be the backup and have a role in packages as a running quarterback. A source said SJSU coach Ron Caragher doesn't want to take that role away from Jurich, a fifth-year senior who has paid his dues.

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Connette has already graduated from Duke, so he would be immediately eligible to play at whichever school he transfer to, but he would only be able to play in this upcoming 2014 season. The Wilmington (N.C.) News Star reported that Connette was believed to be considering San Jose State, Fresno State and San Diego State, so with the Spartans ruled out, it would appear Fresno State and San Diego State are the primary contenders.